1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to a method for effecting a suntan on people of light skin by applying retinoic acid to the skin.
2. Discussion of the Background:
In many cultures, a suntan is considered a sign of good health and beauty. In fact, sunbathing to achieve a suntan is practiced in many parts of the world. In climates and during seasons which are not conducive to outdoor sunbathing, some people resort to indoor exposure to intense ultraviolet radiation to achieve a suntan. The increased melanin which is part of the suntan is probably protective of photodamage and maybe skin cancer.
However, prolonged exposure to natural sunlight or other excessive UV radiation is know to have many serious detrimental effects. These detrimental effects are discussed in, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,039,513, which is incorporated herein by reference. Specifically, the damaging effects caused by excessive sunlight or UV exposure include, erythema (i.e., sunburn) and skin cancer.
Retinoic acid is known to result in the lightening of liver spots associated with photodamage (Rafal, E.S., New Engl. J. Med., vol. 326, pp. 368-374 (1992)).
However, there remains a need for a method for effecting a suntan in people of light skin color, which does not involve excessive exposure to natural sunlight or other sources of ultraviolet radiation and does not suffer from the disadvantages arising from such exposure.